Group Commends Reconciliation Efforts Over Property Feud

By Peter Dansu 

A Civil Society Organization, Africa Centre for Good Governance and Corruption Free Communities, has commended the reconciliation efforts among parties over a disputed property in Maitama District of Abuja.

Two flats in the property located at No 1, Mekong Close, has been a subject of litigation in  the last five years. 

The group, through its Convener,Comrade Temitope Olubunmi Joseph, appealed to parties to sheathe their sword and give room for negotiation. 

According to him, going into full litigation will not benefit anybody as it will further waste time and resources of all parties. 

A lawyer, Victor Giwa alongside his client, Cecil Osakwe and an official of the Nigerian Police Force,  Edith Erhunmuuse, were accused of. Illegal ejection of the occupant of the flats. 

The group commended Justice Samira Bature, of the High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, who vacated the warrant of arrest issued on Giwa. 

According to the group, the decision of the court will further deepen the recociliation efforts by parties. 

Comrade Joseph said, "We have watched with keen interest, proceedings in this matter in the past few years, we commend the efforts of parties to reconcile and have this matter put behind them once and for all. 

"If there are other ways to have issues sorted out, there is no need to waste hard earnedoney in using governor resources on this matter. 

" We commend the Learned Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, Dr Ahmed Raji, and Mr Joe Agi, for their interventions in this matter which has lingered for many years and spread like "wildfire fire" in the courts. 

"We appreciate you Sirs and we do not take your interventions for granted", he said. 

Justice Samira Bature of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, last week issued an arrest warrant against Giwa and a police official, Edith Erhunmuuse.

They were to be arraigned with another defendant, Cecil Osakwe, on a nine-count charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/222/2023, brought against them by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

They are in charge and accused of engaging in criminal conduct, involving the forceful eviction of occupants and property damage estimated at N300 million.

Why Govt Should Focus More On Women, Art, Craft And Creative Industry - NEWOMCII

By Peter Dansu 

The Nigerian government has been called upon to focus more on women, art, craft and creative industry. 

The National Coordinator of New Dawn for Women and Community Intervention Initiative (NEWOMCII), Hajia Saadatu Adamu Bokane, a  Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, dedicated to empowering women, youth, and vulnerable communities,  said the country's economy can grow with focus on these areas. 

Hajia Bokane, accompanied by the National Secretary, Mrs Change Osuji, speaking to journalists, ahead of the organisation's National Launch and Book Unveling, slated for Tuesday, April 28, the National Coordinator said NEWOMCII saw a gap that women has the potentials but lack the opportunity, access to resources and information to actualize their potentials. 

According to her, the NGO was registered eight months ago and swung into action August 2025, adding that NGO was conceived by Alhaji Bolaji Raji, the founder and the Chairman of the NGO.

He he said their founder has been involved in charity works before now amd has support for Nigerians privately but felt that he should expand the organisation by coming up with an NGO and that was what led to the establishment of the organisation.

Hajia Bokane said, "He is someone who grew up among aunties, so he acknowleges the role of women in the society. He felt the NGO should be women oriented because women are result oriented. 

"The NGO has two thematic areas, Agriculture and art and creativity.  We felt that that sector of art and culture have been neglected over the years. The contributions of women in  art, craft and creative industry have been so silent for so many years. 

"Nigeria as a nation is supposed to diversify into art, craft and creativity.  There are a lot of funds lying idle in UNESCO and Nigeria is one of the countries contributing to UNESCO and we don't even have the knowlege of what we are supposed to tap into. 

"If we go into the rural areas, even,  before the emergence of white collar jobs, people are training their children and running their daily lives with their indigenous arts and crafts. 

"Women are contributing immensely in that area and most of these women are in the rural areas.  They don't even know how to access facilities and they are contributing silently to the economy. 

" So, we felt that we should touch these categories of people in our society.  If you go deep, back into history, women  are the ones that discovered agriculture. 

"In the two areas of our focus, we have touched about five areas councils in the FCT. We started with FCT because we believed it is the heartbeat of the nation, so, one of our pilot projects kick-started in the FCT.  In the aspect of agric, we have touched a village in Bwari Area Council, where we met women who are into rice and corn farming.  

"They were 45 in number, out of which 20 were widows.  We interviewed them and they said since they started there hasn't been any government intervention and no NGO has ever come to their aid. 

"The only NGO that came only took them to their farms, snap pictures with them and never came back again. We were the first to reach out to them and within 10days, we supplied them with what they needed. They complained of farm implememts to harvest their produce. After providing them with the tools they needed, they were happy and said they've never witnessed that kind of gesture before. 

"We have monitoring and evaluation team, who visited them the second time to ensure that what we supplied to them, they are making good use of it".

She said the organisation also visited a community in Karu, where women were empowered with modern facility to ease their work of art and craft. 

NEWOMCII has been in operation for less than one year and has presence across Nigeria (in all the 36 states + Abuja), and has impactful success stories. 

The organisation focuses on skills development, economic empowerment, and community-based interventions.

Outrage in Lagos as Former Ojo LG Candidate, Akogun Slams Sanwo-Olu Over Solar Permit Fees

 By Peter Dansu 

A wave of criticism has trailed the Lagos State Government’s decision to introduce solar permit fees in housing estates, with Olumayowa Akogun-Abudu launching a fierce attack on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over what he described as an anti-people policy.

Akogun-Abudu, a military veteran and former aspirant of Lagos State House of Assembly as well as Ojo Local Government chairmanship candidate, condemned the move in a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, April 23, 2026, to News Peddlers. He argued that the policy targets residents who have turned to solar energy as a survival strategy amid persistent power outages.

Describing the fee as exploitative, he said the government was effectively punishing citizens for finding alternatives to a problem it has failed to solve.

“This solar permit fee is not just bad policy; it is daylight exploitation of Lagosians,” he said. “After years of failing to deliver stable electricity, your government now wants to tax survival.”

He maintained that thousands of residents who invested personal funds into renewable energy solutions did so out of necessity, not luxury, and should not be burdened with additional levies.

Akogun-Abudu also questioned the administration’s priorities, accusing it of focusing more on revenue generation than improving basic services. According to him, the policy reflects a widening gap between governance and the everyday realities faced by citizens dealing with rising living costs and weak infrastructure.

“This is not governance; this is extortion dressed up as regulation,” he added. “Instead of fixing the power crisis, you have chosen to profit from it. No serious government penalizes innovation, self-reliance, and resilience.”

As opposition to the policy grows across Lagos housing estates, he called for its immediate and total reversal, insisting the government lacks the moral standing to impose such charges.

“If you cannot provide electricity, you have no moral justification to tax those who provide it for themselves. This policy must be scrapped completely and immediately,” he said.

He further warned that the political consequences of the decision could be significant, stressing that voters would not forget policies they perceive as burdensome.

“Lagosians are watching. And they will remember.”